Wild Dreams
by Darien Fawkes
Summary: After recent events, is it any wonder Emily's having strange dreams?
1. Wild Dreams

**A/N:** Yes, the frustration of the dreaded "Error 2" is FINALLY over! Everything is updated and back in its rightful place! Anyway, with a week to go before another new ep. Here's a little filler I wanted to do.

**Legal:** I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, characters, places, events etc. Anything not covered by the above rights should be considered purely the creation of the author.

Emily was in the woods, walking around slowly as she looked around cautiously. She didn't know why she had come here, or what she expected to accomplish by coming, but something was drawing her here. She had tried in vain a few times to find the spot where her kidnapper had taken her, hoping to find some trace of him, some clue as to who he was, or where he had gone.

She found her way into a clearing, making her way out onto a stony bank by a stream, surrounded by trees. It was a beautiful spot, the water was so clear, that she could see fish swimming around just under the surface. The trees were an explosion of colour, and birds were singing, and occasionally fluttered around between trees, in a kind of natural choir that seemed to be there almost just for her. She thought briefly of how she used to love going on picnics as a kid. It was a lovely spot that she just knew Mike and Serena would love. She knew it would be some time before that could happen, Serena was still bed-ridden, and she and Mike were far from done with their responsibilities as Samurai, but she always wanted him to meet her sister before her family.

She still wasn't sure what was going on with her and Mike. They had been good friends since they had met, and over time, things between them had started to change. She started spending more time with him than she did with the others, and their time together grew more intimate. She loved spending time with him, and pretty soon they would finish paying off the replacement television and be able to spend some time together outside the academy together. It was a thought that made her smile.

She suddenly paused as she got an ill feeling in her stomach. The birds had stopped singing. Indeed, looking around, she noticed that the birds were gone, all except a few stragglers that she had only just noticed fluttering away. Something had spooked them. She reached into her jacket, pulling out her Samuraizer, and gripping it tightly just in case.

Turning slowly, she saw a campfire, and some bedding. The fire was lit, indicating that whoever had lit it had to be nearby. As she came over, she inspected the belongings left behind, and found the long, white cloak the man had been wearing the first time they had met, back when he observed Jayden's battle with Kevin. A little way off, she saw a short length of rope tied tightly around a tree, with frayed edges where the Ape Folding Zord had clawed through it. This was it; this was where he had brought her before.

She paused as she heard some stones shuffling behind her, gripping her Samuraizer tightly. Rising slowly, she turned around, seeing him standing behind her. He was wearing only a pair of trousers, and he was dripping wet. The bindle of fish he was carrying over his right shoulder gave away why, he had obviously gone to gather some food. He didn't have a rod with him, only a spear. He gave her a little smirk as she confronted him.

"You know, if you will insist on wearing such a distinctive scent, I would suggest you approach the camp from upwind." He told her as he set down the fish. He kept the spear with him, shifting his grip on it as he started to approach her. "For what it's worth, it is a nice scent."

"Thank you." She responded. She didn't really know why, she had said it before she could think of anything else to say. This was the man that had kidnapped her only a couple of days ago, and who had openly told her that he wanted to kill one of her best friends. He had attacked her, and even threatened to kill her when she tried to escape, only to let her go of his own accord when he decided she was of no use to him.

"How are your injuries?" He asked her, walking straight past her to a rock on the other side of the campfire, and sitting down, resting his spear on the ground. Emily still couldn't think of anything to say. She had come here, seeking him out, only now she had found him, she couldn't think of anything to say. She shook her head.

"My hands are sore." She told him. He saw the bandages wrapped around them and nodded. "It isn't serious, I should be fine."

"Urumasa does not take kindly to being handled by just anyone." He told her, picking up his sword. "I see this time you have come armed."

It was only then that Emily remembered that she was still holding her Samuraizer. She looked back to him, mustering as much confidence as she could and nodding. "Good."

"You want to fight me?" She asked him. He just got up and drew his sword, tossing the scabbard aside. It started to glow with an unnatural red light, illuminating his chest and face, bathing them in its glow. Emily flipped open her Samuraizer, scribing her power symbol in the air and transforming into Ranger Mode. She drew her sword katana, preparing for battle.

"I can see reluctance in your grip." Dekker told her as he started to circle her. "Your stance is shaky."

"Are you going to fight me or teach me?" She snapped, hoping to sound more confident than she really was. He was right about what was going on; she didn't want to face him. She had already tried that once, and had been roundly defeated. Even with her Samuraizer, she wasn't certain she was strong enough. Dekker though exuded a confidence that she could feel. His gaze penetrated her, almost as though he could see her very heart beating in her chest, racing as he confronted her.

"Perhaps a little of both." He answered as he drew into a guard. "I'll allow the lady to lead off."

She rushed forward, taking a cautious swing to assess his defences, which he easily deflected. Their swords rang out as they clashed again and again. Emily struggled for position. He was testing her, pushing her like she hadn't been before. Soon, he flicked the Spin Sword from her hand, where it landed a few feet away, point-down in the ground. His Katana came to rest at her throat.

"Pick it up." He told her, removing the tip of his sword. She ran over, snatching it up and started swinging. Dekker got back on the defensive, but every time she tried to force him off-balance, he regained his footing with super-natural ease. It was like he knew every inch of the forest intimately. Soon, he caught her, spinning her around and holding her sword-arm out to the side, while the serrated edge of Urumasa was pinned against her chest and throat. She could feel it burning against her, even through the suit. He shoved her forward roughly, before taking up his guard once more.

"You attack with rage, but it is not properly harnessed." He told her. "It makes you unfocused. You cannot defeat me like that."

He had done it again; he had told her she couldn't beat him. She wasn't good enough to take his notice. She pulled out her Samuraizer, drawing a symbol in the air and casting a shower of rocks in his direction. Dekker parried most of them, but one struck him hard just above the right brow, drawing blood and staggering him.

Seeing her opportunity, she ran forward, smashing his sword aside wildly, before bringing her own across his chest, drawing blood. He hit a tree, allowing him to reverse his momentum too quickly for her to react and smashed her sword away, before slicing her neatly a few times across the chest, sending her to the ground unmorphed.

Emily felt weakened by the attack, and was struggling for breath, but she knew she had to keep going. She started to crawl towards her fallen Samuraizer, only to be stopped as Dekker stepped on her wrist. She gritted her teeth and grunted as she struggled not to scream. The rope burns on her wrists and the burns on her hands hadn't healed yet, and the pain was intense. Dekker flicked the Samuraizer away, before grabbing her and lifting her off the ground, drawing her up to face him. She saw the look in his eyes as he held her closely.

"No one has drawn blood from me in many years." He told her, flashing a smile at her. "Perhaps I was premature in my judgement of you."

He held her in his strong arms, and threw Urumasa aside. She struggled as he pulled her closer, but only for a moment. As he drew her in, she could feel his heart beating faster and his warm breath on her face. He placed a hand behind her head...

She suddenly felt a jolt, shaking her awake. There were arms around her, but not his. She blinked a few times, getting her bearings as she realised she was in the living room of the academy. Looking around she realised it was Mike who had shaken her awake.

"Em, you fell asleep." He told her. She saw the television on, and saw titles rolling and remembered. The guys had all been watching a movie together, one of Mia's chick flicks which, invariably ended with a wedding. She realised that she had indeed fallen asleep during it. Mia was just putting the DVD back in the box, while Jayden and Kevin were clearing away the empty bowls that had held the popcorn into the kitchen.

"Sorry, I guess I'm just tired." She muttered, rubbing her eyes. She felt him tightening his grip on her, and kissing her softly, but she didn't feel the way she usually did. She didn't know why, she cared deeply about Mike. She hated the fact that this was happening. She knew he was good for her. He always made her feel good about herself. He had never hurt her intentionally, and she knew he never would. He cared about her intensely, and their time together had always been good, but since she had come back, she had been having these thoughts about the man who had kidnapped her.

She didn't want to feel that way. She hadn't had a boyfriend until she met Mike, the closest she had come was the boy at school who had let her out of her locker when she had been shoved inside, only to shove her back in once he realised who it was. She didn't know what it meant to be in a romantic relationship, but she was sure about one thing. She wasn't meant to be having wild dreams about another guy while she was with someone. Especially when the guy she kept thinking about was a guy that had taken her against her will, injured her in battle, and threatened to kill one of her best friends.

She couldn't help it though. Since that day, she had been thinking about him a lot. She couldn't get him out of her mind. The dreams were quite intense, and she was beginning to worry that she might say or do something in her sleep that would give it away to Mia. She already knew the Pink Ranger had a bad habit of occasionally muttering in her sleep, and she knew some of the things Mia occasionally dreamt about. If she found out, and Mike did...she couldn't bear to think how he'd react if she was dreaming about someone else. She felt Mikes arms loosen on her a little.

"Emily, is something wrong?" He asked her. "You, um...haven't said much all night."

"I guess I'm just tired." She told him, looking away from him. She couldn't lie to anyone's face. It was something that most people kept telling her they loved about her, but right now it didn't seem like much of a gift. She couldn't look at Mike and lie to him; she knew he would see right through her.

"Well, I guess it is pretty late." He commented, checking his watch. "And we have early training tomorrow. Mentor Ji said he has a big surprise waiting for us tomorrow."

"Well given what his last surprise was like, I guess we should be well rested." Emily agreed. "I'm sorry I've not been much fun tonight."

"It's alright, we all have days like that." Mike admitted, helping her off the couch. "You should have seen the tantrums I threw when my Gameboy stopped working."

She managed a little smile at the thought of that. He was trying to make her feel better, just like he always did whenever she seemed down. She didn't feel like she deserved him given the way things were going. She just reached up, kissing his cheek softly.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She whispered, making her way to the bedroom she shared with Mia, finding the Pink Ranger putting her DVD away and starting to get ready for bed.

"You missed a great movie." Mia told her. "I wanted to wake you so you could see it, but Mike wouldn't let us."

"He wouldn't?" Emily asked a little uneasily.

"He said you seemed really peaceful." Mia told her. "Personally I just think he thinks you're cute when you're asleep."

Emily blushed a little as she heard her say this. She knew Mike felt very strongly for her, she believed as strongly as did for him, which just made everything worse.

"Say Mia, you really love those kinds of films don't you?" Emily asked her. Mia just nodded.

"Yeah, I know, I'm just a sucker for the whole happy ending thing." She said with a smile. "I guess I've always loved the idea that there's someone out there that just makes a person happy."

"Well, you know some of those scenes...the ones that are kind of..."

"Racy?" She asked with a little snigger.

"Do you ever have dreams like that?" Emily asked her. "You know, about a guy?"

"I don't think there's anyone that doesn't." Mia told her, coming over and putting an arm around Emily as she showed her to the bed. They had shared a room for a while now, and had shared a lot with each other. Emily was a fair bit younger than her, and from what Mia had come to understand had been somewhat sheltered by comparison growing up with her family in the country. It was still a little amusing to see her shy away or blush whenever something that most of them would think nothing of came on television. She had been coming out of her shell for a while thanks to her relationship with Mike, but it was clear that she was still unsure about some things. "It's perfectly natural."

"Really?" Emily asked her.

"Hey, you share a room with me; you know I was having pretty interesting nights after the wedding missions." Mia admitted with a little smirk. "I've got to admit, I haven't been able to look at Jayden the same way."

She shifted closer, looking Emily in the eye.

"You haven't been in this kind of a relationship before, so you're new to this, but you're a grown woman. It's only natural that you'll start to see him a little differently." Mia said reassuringly. Emily wanted to say something, but the words just wouldn't come out. Mia had presumed that the dreams Emily was asking about were about Mike. "I know it might make things seem a little strange and uncomfortable, but believe me, it's all perfectly normal."

"It doesn't feel very normal." Emily muttered. Mia just smiled and nodded as she went to her own bed, getting under the covers.

"It won't for a while, but I'm sure eventually you'll see that it's nothing to be ashamed about." Mia told her. She then paused as she thought about something. "Um...Emily, I just have to ask, you do know about...?"

"My parents had 'the talk' with me." Emily groaned. "I might be sheltered, but I'm not that naive."

"Sorry, I just had to check." Mia said, sounding relieved that she wasn't going to have to go there. She just settled into her bed. "It'll be alright Emily, I'm sure of it. Mike's a great guy."

As she turned over, Emily pulled one of her stuffed toys onto the bed, holding it to her chest. It was a panda that Mike had won for her at the funfair to cheer her up after she threw up coming off the Roller Coaster for the second time. Mike had joked that eating two hotdogs, and ice cream and a bag of cotton candy before going on wasn't the wisest move, but reminded her that at least this time she had made it to a trash can and not thrown up on him. She hated the way she was feeling, and was almost dreading going to sleep. Mike was right for her, he was good for her. He was too good for her. He didn't deserve a girl who kept fantasising about some nameless psycho that had tied her up and threatened her with a sword, no matter how good looking he was.

She held the panda in tightly, kissing it softly. She wanted Mike, and only Mike. She kept telling herself that, and would keep doing so until her brain finally got the message, no matter how long that took.


	2. A Long Run

Emily and Mia made their way out into the main room early in the morning, even earlier than everyone was used to. Although 5 or 6AM wake-up calls were common to get some training in before breakfast, this time the sun was nowhere near up, and they were almost into summer.

Mia was yawning as she came into the room; she was pretty much hopeless if she didn't have a good six hours' sleep. She was a creature of habit. Emily noticed Kevin faking a yawn to match and had to suppress a chuckle. Mia was oblivious, but everyone else had picked up on how obvious his feelings for Mia were. He pretty much worshipped her, and seemed to do everything he could to make her not feel singled out in the group by almost trying to ensure that at least he was always doing or enjoying the same things she was. His yawn was so obviously fake to everyone that it caused a few of them to almost laugh.

Emily though was more worried about her own situation. She had dreamt about him again that night, not the guy she should be thinking about, the one that adored her and treated her so well. Looking at Mike, she felt the usual lift in her spirits as he straightened out his training uniform, and smiled at her. Mentor Ji came in carrying five backpacks with a little bit of a grin.

"I promised you a special treat." He told them.

"Waking up at four in the morning is a treat?" Mike muttered. Mentor Ji just gave him a warning glare that immediately silenced him.

"Today, you will all run up to breakneck point." He announced. They all rolled their eyes, but knew better than to protest. They had too much respect for Mentor Ji to question him. Breakneck point was a cliff that overhung the coast. It was almost three miles from the academy, and by the time the climb to the summit, a difficult route through forest, and up rocks, it was closer to ten. "There, you will meet some friends of mine, who will help you train today."

"Friends?" Mike asked, a slight smirk crossing his face. He hadn't really gone into too much detail with the guys what had happened in Blue Bay Harbour, but he had done his own research in the meantime on the internet. One of the Blue Bay Harbour team had been designated the Green Samurai Ranger, and while he hadn't directly asked, Cam had been trained in the ways of the Samurai, and his uniform's trim was green. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the connection.

"You will need these." He told them, pointing to the backpacks. They each came up in turn, picking up their backpacks, but they looked at each other with slightly disgruntled and confused looks, all except Jayden and Kevin, who just strapped them on dutifully.

"These things must weigh a hundred and fifty pounds." Mike protested. "What's in them?"

"Sandbags." Mentor Ji said curtly. "And they all weigh exactly one hundred pounds, so please don't exaggerate."

"You want us to carry sandbags?" Mia asked him.

"It'll make your run more challenging." He told them. "Oh, and don't bother hiding them, they are all marked. My friends will know if you carry them all the way and inform me."

"Alright guys, the sooner we start, the sooner we can get to breakfast." Jayden announced. Mentor Ji just held up a hand.

"Emily will catch up." He told him. "The four of you go without her."

Emily waited dutifully, the backpack weighing heavily on her spine and digging into her shoulders as she approached him. The others filed out, Mike last of all, giving her a little look. Mentor Ji just sighed.

"What troubles you?" He asked her.

"I'm not sure..."

"You've been distracted in training." He told her, before reaching into his robe and pulling out a letter. "And I got this yesterday morning."

Emily took it from him and her heart sank. She hadn't finished High School; she had only been seventeen when she came to the academy, and still a few points shy of her High School Diploma. Since she had been brought up to replace Serena, Mentor Ji and her parents already knew that certain allowances would have to be made. She had been enrolled in online classes in order to make up her grades so that once she returned to her life, presuming she ever did, she would have an education to fall back on. Even though she had now turned eighteen, and strictly speaking had no legal requirement to pursue education, her parents insisted. Since she was at the academy, Mentor Ji was listed as her guardian, and so the letter had been addressed to him.

"You're falling behind in your classes." He informed her. It wasn't much of a surprise really, she couldn't remember the last time she had completed an assignment. Things had been pretty up in the air lately. She looked to him sadly, awaiting a lecture that didn't come. He simply put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "This isn't like you."

"I've just been through..."

"You have a lot of responsibilities for one so young, and you bear them as difficultly as you do that backpack." He told her. "I also know you have had some distractions. I simply wanted to know if you wanted to talk about them."

Emily just looked to the floor and shook her head. She didn't know how to speak to him, or even if she could. The problem was that she had no idea what was going on in her head or her heart. Although she was with Mike, and she felt safe and secure and good about herself when she was with him, she was also having pretty hot and heavy dreams about a guy that had tied her up, beaten her and threatened to kill her and one of her best friends. Mentor Ji was wise, but she wasn't sure this was the kind of thing he could or would help with. He just sighed.

"I'm guessing this is at least partly to do with a certain member of your team." He concluded. She just nodded. While they hadn't exactly made an official announcement or anything, she and Mike hadn't really done anything to hide the fact their relationship had gone beyond mere friendship. He just nodded. "I am not as old as you think. Just...consider what I have said."

With that, he dismissed her. Emily stopped at the door to shift the weight of her backpack into a marginally more comfortable position. It was then a thought occurred to her.

"Mentor Ji?" She asked him.

"Yes Emily?" He asked, his voice sounding almost hopeful.

"Each of these backpacks weighs a hundred pounds." She reminded him. "You carried in all five, and this one's practically breaking my back."

"Like I said, I am not as old as you think." He said with a chuckle. "The others have a good start Emily; I would suggest you make your way to catch up."

With that, she turned and ran out in pursuit of her friends.

In a small plateau a little way up the cliff, the others had stopped for a quick breather, and to give Emily a little time to catch up. Mia was sitting on a tree stump, slugging some water as Mike paced, looking around with the kind of intensity that made it look like he was waiting for the meaning of life.

"She's coming." Mia assured him. "You know how strong she is."

"Given the bruise I had on my ass the last time I sparred with her?" He chuckled. "Yeah, that little five foot four ninety pound frame is deceptive."

"So why are you so agitated?" Mia asked him. Mike just sighed.

"I don't know." He told her. "I mean, I guess there's a part of me that wants to take care of her and protect and help her, but...I guess at times..."

Mia pulled him away as she saw Jayden and Kevin were going over some mild exercises to pass the time.

"Mike, Emily's crazy about you." Mia said reassuringly.

"I know, but...sometimes she's just so strong that at times I feel like, what does she need me for?" He admitted. "Look, if I talk to you about something, can it just stay between us?"

"I guess." She said with a nod.

"I'm serious; I've only told Emily about this." He reiterated. "I need..."

"Yeah, sure." Mia interrupted him. He just made sure Kevin and Jayden were well out of earshot before sitting down next to her. He wrung his hands intensely as he prepared to tell her.

"This is my...first time around." He admitted. "I know I act all confident and cocky, but a lot of it is bravado. Seriously, do you know what most girls do if you tell them your main passion is video games?"

"Shove you in a locker till lunch time?" Mia asked. Mike just looked at her a little stunned. Mia just shrugged. "I grew up in a city too. I know what kids are like."

"Me and my friends were kind of considered dorks." He told her. "It's only my training that meant I didn't spend most of my formative years being given swirlies. I've never had what I have with Emily before."

"It's always going to be scary." Mia told him. "You don't know what to expect."

"Yeah, so I just get worried." He told her. "She's kind of...cooled off on me recently."

"Cooled off?" Mia asked him.

"Yeah, you've see us, we like each other. She loved it when we cuddled, and the kissing...OK, I've got nothing to compare it to, but I think it was good, but recently...she just seems to be somewhere else."

He turned and looked to her pleadingly.

"You don't think she's bored with me do you?" He asked her. "I mean, I told her I don't know much about this stuff. Maybe she's..."

"Somehow I doubt she could be bored with you." Mia assured him, popping him on the shoulder as she gave him a little snigger.

"I'm serious about this Mia; I don't want to lose her." He told her. "She's amazing, and I can't bear to think that I'm driving her away. Do you think she wants to...you know...go further?"

"Look, I don't have a great romantic history either, just look at what happened between me and Jayden." She told him. "I sniffed after him like a schoolgirl only to get the 'just friends' talk."

"That must have sucked." Mike agreed.

"The thing is, I saw things that weren't there." Mia told him. "Maybe you should just give her a chance. If she's got a problem, she'll let you know in time."

"What if she lets me know too late?" Mike asked her. "Mia...I don't know what to do. If she wants me to go further, I don't know if I'm ready for that, but if she isn't ready..."

He just groaned and slumped forward, placing his head in his hands.

"Is it meant to be this hard?" He asked her. "I don't know what the hell to do."

"Like I said, given my romantic history, I don't know if I'm the right person to ask." Mia told him. "But if the movies I love are anything to go by, it's never going to be easy."

"I just don't want to risk losing her." Mike told her. Just then, Emily arrived, panting heavily as she leaned forward, supporting her weight on a tree. The others looked around.

"I think another five minutes are in order." Jayden stated. Emily just smiled before slumping back onto the ground, and smiling contentedly at the prospect of a rest. Mike ran over to her to tend to her, making sure she was comfortable as she caught her breath after playing catch-up.


	3. Guest Trainers

The Rangers finally reached the end of their hike, arriving at Breakneck Point. As they arrived, they took the opportunity to finally drop the heavy backpacks they were carrying. Mike slumped down next to a tree to catch his breath.

"I guess we have to wait for Mentor Ji's friends." He commented, noting the fact that they seemed to be alone. "Talking about Mentor Ji, what did he want with you Em?"

"He got a letter from my online course provider." Emily told him. "I'm falling behind on my course work."

This was partly true. She had indeed been warned by him that the online classes she had been taking to complete her High School education were slipping, but there was more to it. He was worried about how distracted she had been, and asked her if anything was wrong. She had opted not to tell him. It was a somewhat embarrassing problem all things considered, and one she wasn't sure she wanted to share with him. It sounded ridiculous if she said it aloud, she was having intense dreams and thoughts about the guy that had kidnapped her.

"Are you having problems?" Mike asked her. "I might not be a genius, but High School wasn't that long ago for me. Maybe I could help."

"It's not too hard; I normally have a pretty good idea what I'm doing." She told him with a shrug. "I just guess that things have been getting to me lately."

"I guess you have been through the wringer recently." He said sympathetically, taking her right hand in his gently and smiling.

She forced a smile in response. He was always so good to her; she hated to think about what it would do to him if he knew about her problem.

"Where are these guys?" Mia complained as she started pacing. "Mentor Ji did say this was where we meet them right?"

"Breakneck Point." Kevin agreed as he looked around. "I don't see them though."

Just then a wind picked up, blowing leaves and dust in their direction. They all got a feeling that something was coming. Mike smiled as he watched a familiar face approach from the undergrowth.

"Cam?" He laughed as he greeted him with a fist-bump. "What are you doing so far from Blue Bay?"

"Mentor Ji invited us. He said he would appreciate us giving you all a little time facing people with different styles." Cam told him. "Personally, I'm just looking to a rematch."

"Sounds good to me." Mike agreed. "But Mentor Ji said we were to meet friends plural..."

"That would be us." A voice stated as four other people, all dressed similarly to Cam in black leather all walked into view.

"These are the Senseis of the Wind Ninja Academy." Cam informed them, pointing to his friends. "Tori, the Water Sensei, Shane, the Air Sensei, and Dustin, the Earth Sensei."

"And I'm the head Sensei of the Thunder Academy." Hunter added, introducing himself. "Apart from Cam, we all hold elemental powers much like yourselves, but Mentor Ji thought training against people with different styles would be a good exercise for you."

"Besides, we all know there was a little rivalry between Ninja and Samurai." Tori added. "We're kind of competitive and wanted to see what our counterparts can do."

"Well, I guess we can give you old timers a workout." Mike stated, eliciting a few catcalls and laughs from his team mates. Cam unravelled a canvas roll, containing wooden training swords. He tossed one to Mike.

"Since we don't have a tree guy, you're with me." Cam told him. Dustin smiled as he approached Emily.

"Once again the Yellow Ranger's the earth one, and the cutest member of the team." He told her, gesturing to a spot a little way off. Mike looked around as he heard this, his face indicating that he was far from amused by what Dustin had said. Emily caught the gesture, and it just reinforced her suspicion that telling him about the dreams wouldn't lead to anything good. If a stranger she had only just met giving her a compliment was enough to get Mike jealous, then telling him she was having hot and heavy dreams about the mystery guy that was stalking them was bound to send him over the edge. Tori approached Kevin.

"So you're the water guy?" She asked him. "Let's see how the Samurai utilise water powers."

Mia bent down, picking up a sword, and looked to the last two ninjas.

"I wield air power." She told them. "I guess I'm facing you then Shane."

"Dude, your counterpart's the Pink Ranger." Hunter teased his former leader. Shane just gave him a dark glare, before shaking his head and walking away with Mia to find somewhere to train.

"I guess that leaves the two of us." Hunter said to Jayden, flicking up a sword with his foot, catching it and swinging it. "We didn't have a fire guy, but thunder is kind of a fire element right?"

"I guess so." Jayden replied, taking a sword himself as he prepared for their match. "Want to lead off?"

As they all began, they were all completely oblivious to the fact that Dekker had arrived. As usual, he was keeping a close eye on the Samurai, sizing them up for his future duel. He smiled as he watched the new arrivals putting the Rangers through their paces.

He was impressed by what he saw. The Rangers were strong, and by the looks of it, they were getting stronger.

"The time is coming Urumasa." He said to his sword. "The Red Ranger is indeed the strongest warrior I have seen in many years."

He was taking in every detail of what he was seeing. Knowing an opponent was vital to defeating them. He took every opportunity he could find to study them and observe their progress. He watched as Dustin took Emily to the ground. The Yellow warrior was strong, he knew that from facing her himself. While the Earth Ninja was a skilled opponent, Dekker could tell that he took her down far more easily than he should have been able to. Her technique was off, and her eyes strayed from her opponent at times. He could tell that she was not concentrating on the task at hand. She was distracted.

He saw that Cam was also besting Mike. Of the Rangers, he had already ascertained that Mike was the weakest. He was not without skill, but it was clear that he was not in the same league as the others. Cam made it a point to instruct him, pointing out where he was making mistakes, and explaining how he got through his guard. Dekker seemed impressed by how quickly Mike seemed to take Cam's advice and adapt. He was a quick learner. Perhaps in time, he would become a worthy opponent, but for now, he would merely be a distraction.

After watching for a little while, he found himself paying more attention to the Ninja Rangers. He smiled as he thought about them.

"Perhaps simply waiting for my duel with the Red Ranger is not the best use of my time." He thought aloud. "Perhaps I could do with warming up."

With that, he left, looking for a place to make camp nearby. It would be foolish to try anything right now with so many warriors around. He was confident that the opportunity to test himself would present itself soon.

Over in the academy, Mentor Ji came through from the kitchen with a tray, carrying a teapot and some cups, finding his house guest, Sensei Watanabe sitting, staring at the Wii under the television.

"I allowed my students to bring a few home comforts with them." He told the Sensei, chuckling slightly as he saw his old friend looking at it disbelievingly. "It belongs to Mike."

"The one my son was helping?" Sensei Watanabe asked.

"That is the one." Mentor Ji answered as he started to pour. "Just between you and me though, sometimes when the Rangers aren't around, I enjoy a little bowling. It really is quite fun."

"The television is new." Sensei Watanabe commented. "I can't remember the last time you replaced it."

"That wasn't by choice." He chuckled. "My youngest student, Emily had a little mishap with the Wii."

"Of course that is one of the joys of having young students." Sensei Watanabe mused thoughtfully as he took a sip of tea. "I can't count the number of times my students caused some form of mayhem in my command centre."

"It has been far too long since we talked like this old friend." Mentor Ji commented with a smile. "Lord Xandred unfortunately has little respect for our social lives."

"Unfortunately tyrants rarely do." Sensei Watanabe agreed. "At least we have privacy. My team has brought camping supplies."

"My students were not keen on camping the last time I sent them." Mentor Ji told him.

"You haven't seen the way my students camp." Sensei Watanabe replied, setting down his cup and picking up a Wii handset. "So tell me old friend, is this thing as much fun as you say it is?"

"Let me show you." Mentor Ji replied, turning the console on.

Back at Breakneck Point, the Rangers had finished training, and gone back to their campsite to rest. When the Samurai Rangers had heard they would be camping, they weren't keen at first, until they saw all the luxuries they had packed into Tori's van.

"Now, this is how to camp!" Mike said in an appreciative manner as he pulled a bowl of popcorn out of the microwave and taking a seat. "This is better than my last holiday."

"I have to admit, this is different than we're used to." Jayden added, taking a sip from an ice-cold smoothie Hunter had made him.

"I keep telling them this isn't exactly roughing it." Tori laughed as she sat with Mia and Emily. Dustin came out of the van with a football in his hand.

"So who wants to work off some of that dinner with a little scrimmage?" He asked. Jayden looked to his team mates and nodded.

"That sounds good." He answered. "Samurai vs. Ninjas?"

"Sure thing." Dustin called back, throwing the ball to Jayden. "Cam, want to help keeping score?"

"Like I have a choice." He muttered, going with them. Mia turned to Tori.

"I have to admit, you were lucky." She stated. "Being the only girl with all those cute guys? Your Ranger days had to be fun."

"It wasn't as fun as you'd think." She responded, cracking open a soda and taking a sip. "Sometimes the guys seemed to forget I was a girl. Dustin kept calling me dude, and Shane..."

She just rolled her eyes, thinking about the whole incident with the guy at the beach and the magazine shoot.

"So, you never thought about any of the guys?" Emily asked her. Tori just smiled.

"I wouldn't say that exactly." She answered coyly. "I met my fiancé on the team. He's on tour with Factory Blue at the moment."

"Your fiancé was on the team?" Mia asked her.

"Yeah, I did." Tori replied. "Of course, let's face it; I wouldn't be human if I didn't notice the others were kind of cute too."

Emily perked up a little hearing this. Tori was telling them that she had thought about other guys when she was with someone. She had already told them she was engaged, and yet she was admitting thinking about the others too.

"Did you ever...you know...daydream about them?" Emily asked her. "I mean, while you were with..."

"Blake?" She asked, laughing. "You better believe it."

"But...you were with him." Emily reminded her. "You're marrying him. How could you...?"

"Hey, I'm only human." Tori conceded. "It's not cheating to have a little daydream every now and again. It's perfectly natural."

"Is that what's been bothering you?" Mia asked the Yellow Ranger. "Those dreams you were talking about, they weren't about Mike?"

"Not so much." Emily admitted.

"Like I said, you wouldn't be human if you didn't have the odd little dream." Tori told her. "Look but don't touch, that's the rule."

"But...what about Mike?" Emily asked.

"Hey, it isn't cheating if you don't do anything about it." Tori explained.

"But I'm just really confused about these feelings." Emily told them.

"There's a big difference between love and infatuation." Mia told her. "I mean, just think about it. Mike makes you laugh, he makes you feel good about yourself, he helps you when you need it...that's the real stuff. That's the stuff that matters when you aren't thinking about his butt."

"Mia's right." Tori told her. "I might have had a few daydreams about guys that were a little more than PG13, but what Blake offers me, no one else gives me."

"Besides, I can totally understand. It wasn't that long ago I was totally into Jayden." Mia told her.

Emily gave them a little smile. It did make her feel a little better to hear from the older woman that it was possible to be attracted to someone else while she was with Mike. Of course she wasn't entirely sure there wasn't still something seriously wrong with her. They didn't seem to judge her when they thought she might have been thinking about another member of the team, it would be a different thing entirely if they found out her stomach was doing back flips when she thought about the guy that wanted to kill Jayden.

"So Mike eh?" Tori asked Emily, shifting closer. "So...how serious are you two?"

Meanwhile, a little way off, the guys were busy playing football. The Ninjas were in possession, and Dustin called the guys together for the snap.

"Hike!" He called out as Shane snapped the ball. He gave it a second for Hunter to get a little bit down as he dodged Kevin's tackle, before snapping off the pass. He just clamped his hands on the top of his head as he watched it sail far into the air.

"Nice throw dirt boy!" Hunter teased him as it flew over the edge of the cliff. "Maybe if my arms were a few feet longer I could have caught it."

"Sorry dude." Dustin replied.

"I'll get it." Cam groaned as he made his way to the edge of the cliff and started to climb down. It had landed on a ledge a few feet down, and was easily reachable. Once he got there, he threw the ball back up.

Just as he was about to climb back up though, a katana flew through the air, sinking into the ground just missing his right foot. He turned around to see Dekker standing behind him, wielding Urumasa.

"OK, who exactly are you?" Cam asked him.

"Who I am isn't important." Dekker answered. As for you, you're practice."

Cam barely had time to snatch up the sword Dekker had lent him as the Cursed Warrior rushed to the attack.


	4. Dekker Strikes Again

The guys all came back to the campsite, finding the girls talking around the campfire. Emily smiled as she saw Mike coming back, covered in mud.

"Jayden and Kevin may be great Samurai, but they can't play football worth a damn." He told her as he sat next to her, putting an arm around her, raising a slightly disgusted look from her.

"Mike, you're filthy!" She shrieked.

"The Earth girl's complaining about getting dirty?" Shane teased her. "Dustin, why don't you show her the trick you used to always do."

Dustin sat opposite her, and held up a hand, beginning to concentrate. Eventually, they saw the dirt on Emily and Mike's clothing beginning to fly off them.

"We're...we're clean?" She asked him. "How...?"

"I have complete mastery over the element of Earth." He reminded her. "So, I simply commanded it to leave your clothes."

"Wow, that must have been a handy ability." Mike commented. "It would have saved a fortune in laundry bills."

"Say, where's Cam?" Tori asked as she got them all a round of drinks from the cooler. Hunter just threw the cap from his bottle at Dustin.

"The mudball overshot the last pass." He told her. "Cam climbed down the cliff to get the ball back."

"You guys just left without him?" Tori asked.

"Tori, he grew up in a ninja school." Shane reminded her. "How much trouble could he really get into?"

Just then, they heard a sound from the bushes. Hunter just gestured to the sound.

"See, I'll bet that's him now." He commented. Sure enough, it was Cam, but as he got closer, nearing the fire, they could see that something was very wrong. He was moving with kind of a slow, shuffling limp. As he came close enough for the fire to illuminate him completely, they could see that he was covered in blood from numerous injuries. His left arm hung uselessly at his side, and his legs looked barely able to hold him up. His glasses were broken, and he looked to be exhausted. He finally collapsed to the ground, causing the others to rush over to his side.

"Cam!" Tori rushed out. "Cam, say something!"

"Who did this to you?" Shane asked him as they checked on him.

"I don't know. I've never seen him before." Cam told them.

"We can talk about this when we get back to the academy." Tori told them. "I've got a first aid kit, but it's nowhere near enough to deal with this."

"Pack up the camp." Shane instructed them. "We can talk more when we get back to the Academy. Until then, everyone stay in sight. If whoever did this is still out there, then the last thing we need is him coming round to try again."

Far from the Ranger's camp though, Dekker limped into his own camp, placing Urumasa down against a tree as his left hand was clamped to a wound in his side, blood running between his fingers. Cam had indeed been a fine test of his skill. It had been a long time since anyone had managed to wound him in battle.

Their battle had been short, but incredibly fierce. Cam fought with an amazing fusion style, formed from his years at the Ninja academy, and also his training in the Samurai sword style, forming an extremely effective, fluid and hard to predict style. Dekker had managed to best him in the end, but not before Cam had inflicted more than a few bruises of his own, and managed to draw blood from the Cursed Warrior in many years.

Dekker reached a flask, lifting it to his lips and taking a long slug of the fiery liquid inside. The saki inside was as much an anaesthetic as it was a celebration of another hard-fought victory. He hadn't had much call for it for some time, but tonight, the warm flavour was like the taste of triumph.

Putting the flask aside, he pulled off his robes and threw them aside, allowing him to inspect the wound. It was deep, though not deep enough to be life-threatening without care, and Dekker had healed himself before. One of the benefits of his immortality was that wounds which would be lethal to most were merely inconvenient for him. He knew his immortality only extended to aging and sickness, his body still succumbed to the effects of injury, albeit not as seriously or for as long, and so just like Urumasa's last owner, he knew that he could be granted death by someone strong enough to defeat him.

The wound was, by now, almost a finger wide, having been pulled open on the journey back to his camp. He could see muscle beneath, and blood still leaked from it. He had allowed Cam to live because, just like the Yellow Ranger, he would act as a message to Jayden, a warning that he was coming, to prepare him for their eventual duel. Inspecting the wound with his fingers, he smiled, pleased he had done so. Cam was a worthy foe, but it was clear he had not had a duel for his life in some time. Perhaps with time to recover and train...

He took out a knife and reached it into the fireplace, taking out some ash on the blade. He let out a pained shudder, but didn't utter a sound as he pressed some of it into the wound, before holding it closed.

"You have earned your place among my collection." He stated, before grabbing Urumasa and taking it from its scabbard. The blade began to glow, burning with power. He pressed the blade to his flesh, at which it started to sizzle and burn, cauterising the wound closed. It was a ritual he had performed any time he was wounded by a warrior he wanted to remember for as long as he lived. As he removed the blade, the white scar sealed forever into his flesh was surrounded by red, burnt flesh, which would heal in time. That scar joined the others he had similarly sealed whenever someone had proven themselves worthy of wounding him so grievously.

He picked up the flask and took another sip before sealing it. His life was devoid of indulgence. He did not drink from it, lest he had earned it in honourable combat. He got to his feet, picking up his robes and placing them back on. Picking up Urumasa, he made his way from the campsite. He had more business to attend to this night.

Back at the academy, Mentor Ji and Sensei Watanabe had since shut off Mike's Wii, and had started to talk over drinks, though given the late hour; they had opted for something a little stronger. Mentor Ji had broken out his best Saki and a couple of cups. The two men laughed as they recalled tales of their past, taking amusement in thoughts of times they had not been the wise old men they were now.

"It is still hard to remember we were ever so young." Sensei Watanabe commented. "Do you remember how we fought over...?"

"It is a fight I am glad I lost." Mentor Ji cut him off with a chuckle. "It was obvious she only had eyes for you."

"I still miss her at times." Sensei Watanabe admitted. "Still, whenever I do, all I have to do is look at my son and think of the fine young man he has become."

"He is a credit to you both." Mentor Ji told him. "And fortunately, he has taken his looks from his mother's side of the family."

"On that, old friend, we agree." Sensei Watanabe laughed as they tapped their cups together. Just then, the door burst open as Jayden and Kevin came in, leading Shane and Dustin as they carried Cam into the room. Tori, Mia, Emily and Mike brought up the rear. Mike sealed the doors behind them as Mentor Ji and Sensei Watanabe rushed to Cam's aid.

"What happened?" Sensei Watanabe rushed out as Kevin prepared a bedroll on the floor and the others lowered Cam onto it gently. "Cameron, speak to me!"

"He passed out in the van." Tori informed him. "I did what I could, but I only had a small first aid kit. We thought about taking him to a hospital..."

"You did the right thing." Sensei Watanabe interrupted her. His instinct as a father wanted to protest. To say to hell with maintaining the secrets of the Samurai and the Ninja and take him to a hospital where he could receive the best treatment and worry how they would explain his injuries later, but he knew that like it or not, theirs was a life of secrecy. He knew that Mentor Ji would have extensive medical supplies, much like they had at the ninja academy. Mentor Ji returned with an armful of supplies, setting up next to Cam. The former Green Samurai Ranger started to stir as Mentor Ji began stripping his clothing to get a better look at his injuries.

"Cameron...can you hear me?" Sensei Watanabe asked him. He just nodded gently, but the expression on his face betrayed the pain he was in as Mentor Ji started to get to work. Tori had done a good job cleaning his wounds and stabilising him, it would make his task treating him properly much easier. "Who did this to you?"

Mike came into the room, carrying the pencil drawing that Mentor Ji had created from the description he, Emily and Mia had given him following their first meeting at the building site. He held it where Cam could see it.

"Is this the guy that did this?" Mike asked him. Emily watched, hoping that he would deny it, but knowing that he wouldn't. Cam just nodded gently.

"That's him." He muttered. "He had a glowing sword..."

"That's him alright." Emily sighed, remembering her brief fight with him. "I've faced him too. He's good."

"He's better than good." Cam grunted as Mentor Ji started to dress Cam's wounds. "He's the best I've ever faced."

"Cameron has studied the ways of the Samurai sword for many years, and he has a family legacy from one of the most gifted families." Sensei Watanabe informed them. "I fear if anyone could do this to him with a sword, then he does not exaggerate the man's skill."

"I can tell you one more thing for free." Cam stated, looking to Jayden. "He doesn't like you very much."

"To be honest, that wasn't the impression I got." Emily announced. Everyone looked around at her, surprised by her interruption. She backed away a little under their gaze, uncertain as to exactly why she had spoken.

"What do you mean?" Jayden asked her. If anyone wanted to know more about this guy, then it was Jayden. So far, all they really knew of his motives was that he wanted to fight Jayden. Emily looked a little nervous as she thought about it.

"The way he talked about you, the way he kept talking you up. It sounded like he admired you." She told them. "I can't explain it, but if anything...it almost sounded like he was jealous of you."

"He's jealous of Jayden?" Kevin asked her. "What makes you say that?"

"I don't know. It wasn't so much what he said; it was more how he said it." Emily continued. "Whenever he spoke about Jayden, he talked with admiration, awe."

"Well that's one thing at least." Mike said with a little smirk, turning to Jayden. "At least you know the guy doesn't hate you, he just wants to kill you."

Just then, they heard the gong outside sounding. Mentor Ji and the others all looked around each other.

"Red Ranger!" A voice called from outside. Emily's heart froze, she recognised it instantly, and she felt the same uncomfortable feeling in her stomach that she had ever since she had been kidnapped. He was here. Dustin, Shane, Hunter and Tori started to get up.

"Stop!" Mentor Ji told them. "I understand your desire for vengeance, but you have seen what he has done to your friend. It would be foolish to believe he has come here unprepared."

"We'll go too." Jayden told him. "If he has come looking for trouble, then he's found it."

As they filed out of the building, they saw that the torches around the yard were lit, and Dekker was standing by the gong, having rung it to get their attention. He was holding Urumasa.

"You kidnapped one of my friends." Jayden stated angrily. "You laid up another. Now you dare to come into my home uninvited?"

"You mistake my intention Red Ranger." Dekker replied, setting his sword aside. He made his way forward unarmed, knowing that they would not be likely to attack if he didn't seem to be ready to make a move. Dekker was still a deadly opponent unarmed, but he didn't seem to have any intention of making any moves. "I just thought it was about time we met."

"Before you try and kill me you mean?" Jayden asked him. "You could have killed Cam..."

"Yes, I could, but I did not." He replied. "Nor did I kill the little one. I merely sought to gain your attention."

"You think we should be grateful?" Kevin scoffed.

"I think you should appreciate that I am a man of my word." Dekker told them. "I have no interest in needless conflict. I merely wished to demonstrate my skill and show you I am serious about my challenge."

"Then let us..."

"Now is neither the time nor the place." Dekker told him, looking around. "No offence, but as delightful as your training yard is, it is not fitting backdrop for the duel of the ages."

"You expect us to just stand back and do nothing while you hunt down and hurt our friends?" Mike roared, stepping forward, barely able to restrain his anger. "You almost gutted Cam!"

"He also left his mark on me." Dekker told them, opening his robes to show them the scar he had sealed into himself from Cam's strike. "You can rest assured; he should be honoured to have his place among these scars."

As he turned his back to walk away, Mike snatched up a wooden training sword.

"Then I guess I'll just have to leave my own mark!" He screamed as he rushed Dekker.

"Mike no!" Emily screeched as she tried to stop him. Jayden held her back as Dekker turned, snatching up another training sword, parrying his first blow.

"They're using training swords." Jayden reminded her. "If we interfere, then he'll have every right to even the odds any way he can."

Emily didn't want to admit it, but Jayden had a point. By taking up a wooden sword, Dekker had accepted the rules that it was a non-lethal bout, a fair one-on-one match. If any of them interfered and broke the rules, there would be no reason for Dekker to obey the rules either.

The battle was brutal, with Mike's initial surprise attack and aggression giving him a lot of fire and strength. He even managed to get Dekker off his feet, but he quickly regained his stance. He smiled at Mike.

"Impressive." He admitted. "Your style is crude, but you fight with heart. I wonder what exactly gave you that fire."

"You hurt my friends." Mike told him. "That pisses me off!"

Mike launched into another barrage of attacks, but this time Dekker was prepared for him. He managed to create an opening, slamming a hard strike to his ribcage, sending Mike to his knees.

"Had that been Urumasa, I could have sliced you in half." Dekker informed him. "You are so far out of your league little boy."

Mike rushed back to his feet, and swung wildly. This time, Dekker managed to get blows to his legs, ribs and back, sending him to the floor again, screaming in pain. Dekker looked across, seeing the way Emily was looking at Mike, and that he was looking at her too. He smirked.

"Oh, now I see." Dekker replied. "You do not concern yourself with the fact I hurt the other Samurai. It's what I did to your partner that vexes you."

He flicked the sword away from Mike's hand as he started to walk away.

"Your rage blinds you. You are no match for me." Dekker told him. "Neither was your girlfriend."

Mike had heard enough, and rushed Dekker, smashing his training sword into his back, before snapping him into a choke hold. Dekker switched position, throwing his weight over to the floor. He hooked his left arm, and using the wooden sword for leverage, applied a choke of his own.

"You are a pathetic child!" He snarled, squeezing hard. Mike's face started to go a little red as he found it impossible to draw breath. Before, she had been confused, the dreams and the fantasies about Dekker plaguing her since her capture had left her reeling, but seeing Dekker choking the life out of him, the bestial intensity in his eyes betraying the fact he could, and if he wanted to would either strangle him to death or snap his neck, she could only think of Mike. He was the one that was there for her. He was the one who always supported her. He was the one she loved.

Emily had finally seen enough, and ran forward, grabbing the discarded sword and smashing it into the side of Dekker's head, sending him tumbling from Mike.

Jayden and the others all prepared for his reaction, realising that this could easily lead to him deciding that it was now a battle. Instead, he gave her a little smile as he got up, dropping the training sword.

"I think we have talked long enough for one night." He told them, picking up Urumasa. "I will be in touch Red Ranger. You can count on that."

With that, he left the training ground. Jayden and the others all breathed a sigh of relief.

"OK, that guy is just creepy." Tori commented. "I thought Vexacus was bad."

"Are you alright?" Jayden asked Mike as he sat up, spluttering.

"I'm fine." He replied. "My ego just took a bit of a pasting."

"Well it's not like that couldn't do with it once in a while." Kevin teased him. "Come on, we still need to see to Cam."

With that, the others went inside, but Emily stayed outside with Mike. She could see the look in his face, it was one she had seen so many times. He was disappointed. He had failed in his task. He had tried to stand up for her, to avenge her, and he had been soundly defeated.

"You know, no guy's ever stood up for my honour like that." She told him. "It was kind of sweet."

"Yeah, because sweet was what I was going for." He muttered. She just smiled at him as she stroked his hair.

"You know what I mean." She told him, helping him up. She grabbed him, kissing him intently. As they parted, he smiled a little, his spirits lifted.

"Wow." He finally stated. "Um...you've never...like that before. Um...what was that for?"

"Just for being you." She replied as she led him back inside. He had worried that Emily was cooling off on him, that perhaps she was becoming bored with him, or that he wasn't giving her what she wanted. It felt good to have her give him that attention. "Listen Emily, I know I've been..."

"We can talk tomorrow." She told him. "I know things haven't been ideal for a couple of days, but please...can we just talk tomorrow?"

Mike just nodded and led her inside.


	5. Honesty in a Relationship

The next morning, Mike came into the common room early, even earlier than normal. Despite the late hour they had gone to bed, they had agreed to get up early so they could talk before training. Mike had set his alarm early, knowing that it was safe. Kevin has some weird internal clock going on that Mike liked to call his "Samurai Sense." He always woke up at exactly 6:00 AM on the dot every morning, and unless he was physically wakened, no amount of noise would rouse him from his slumber.

Jayden had his own room, one of the privileges of being the leader. No one really knew what went on in that room, no one ever went in there. None of them would ever enter another's chambers without invitation, and the fact was Jayden simply never invited anyone in there. Even Mentor Ji had invited them into his room on rare occasions when he wanted to talk to them privately, but no one had seen inside the door of Jayden's room. It was always closed. It was just another of the mysteries that was their leader. However, just like Kevin, he only ever appeared at 6:00 for training. He wouldn't disturb them at this time.

The only worry was Mia, who shared a room with Emily. He didn't know how Emily would get out of her room without disturbing her. However, as he got into the common room, sneaking past Mentor Ji's room, where Cam was resting until he was healthy enough to be moved, he saw that she had somehow managed it. She was sitting on a beanbag in the corner, the only light in the room a pale blue glow coming from a laptop computer she was working on. Mike came over to her, placing a hand on the screen.

"How did you manage to get past Mia?" He asked her. Emily just smiled and saved what she was working on, closing the laptop.

"A girl has to have some secrets." She told him. "I was just working on some of the coursework I've missed. I really don't want to fall too much further behind."

"How far behind are you?" He asked. "We'll help if you like."

"I should be able to get back on top of things in a few days." She told him. "Mike, I really think we should talk."

He looked around to where Mentor Ji was sleeping on the couch. He didn't seem to be disturbed by their presence. Fortunately, it looked like he was a heavy sleeper. While the Ninjas had checked into a nearby motel, and Sensei Watanabe had insisted on staying in Mentor Ji's room with Cam until they were sure he was healthy enough to be moved, Mentor Ji had agreed to sleep on the couch.

"So what did you want to talk about?" He asked her. Emily just sighed.

"Mike, if we're going to work, and I really want us to, I really think we need to be honest with each other." She began nervously, trying to find the words. Over on the couch, they didn't notice Mentor Ji stirring a little. He half-opened one eye as he heard voices, realising it was his two youngest Rangers. Having practically raised Jayden, he knew that sometimes it was best not to interfere. He could tell by the mood between them that something serious was happening. He knew that something had been troubling them both for a while, and perhaps this was the best way to learn what. He just feigned sleep and continued to listen.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?" Mike asked her hesitantly. She just took a deep breath, taking his hand gently.

"I know I've been a bit off lately." She began hesitantly. "I've been distant, and scattered...I've been really confused, ever since..."

She tailed off a little as she tried to think through what she was trying to say to him. She knew that no matter how he heard it, it wasn't going to be easy to hear.

"Have you ever had dreams?" She asked him. "You know...sexy dreams?"

"Only since I was about 13." He chuckled, giving her a little smile.

"There's a bit more to it." She answered. "These were pretty specific, they were about a particular person...sometimes they got pretty close to...you know..."

"Emily, we're growing up, it's natural." Mike assured her. "Sure, at one time love meant sharing a milkshake and holding hands, but we're not kids anymore. It's only natural that we think about these things."

"You mean...?"

"I know I've thought about it." He admitted. This almost made her chicken out and decide she couldn't continue with her admission, but she knew she had to be honest with Mike if things were going to last. He needed to know.

"Mike the dreams...they weren't about you." She told him. She could see the smile fading from his face as she said this. "I mean...of course I've thought about you like that, and, I've dreamed, but the ones I've had recently...they were about someone else."

He didn't say anything in response, just letting her hand go as he processed what she had told him.

"It's just been so confusing and frustrating." She told him. "I didn't mean to feel this way. I didn't ask for the dreams..."

"You were thinking about someone else?" He asked her.

"I guess a little." She muttered. "I know it must hurt to hear this, but I needed to be honest with you. The reason I've been a bit hot and cold recently is because I couldn't figure all this out."

She breathed a sigh as Mike turned away from her. She looked to her feet, feeling ashamed.

"I didn't know how I could be thinking of anyone else when I'm already in love with you." She whispered. Mike turned to look at her, seeing from her expression that her pain, her confusion was genuine. Emily didn't have it in her to lie to him, especially about anything this serious. He also couldn't help being affected by what she had said to him. She had told him she loved him. They had a great time together, and they felt deeply for each other, but this was the first time she had said she loved him. He put and arm around her, and held her. She looked to him as she heard him start to laugh a little.

"That's it?" He asked her. "You're worried because you had a sexy dream..."

"More than one." She clarified.

"While we were together?" He asked her. She just looked at him a little curiously. "Is that it?"

"Why are you laughing?" She asked him. He just shook his head in disbelief and held her closely.

"Emily, we're a couple, we're not dead." He told her. "It's natural to feel attracted to people. It's possible to be attracted to someone while you're in love with someone else. You can't just turn off biology."

"But I thought..."

"Listen, I don't know much, I'm not exactly a genius, but I know this much." He told her. "I still get the same feelings I did for Angelina Jolie any time I watch one of her films, but what I have with you is just different."

"Different in a good way?" She asked him. He nodded his head, smiling at her.

"It's different in the best way." He answered confidently. "I might think other girls are hot, or that they're attractive, but you're the one I always want to come back to. You're the one that I want to be a better man for."

She smiled to hear him say that, and hugged him tightly. As they parted, he looked deeply into her eyes, before pulling her into a long, passionate kiss. His heart soared as he felt the spark return. If he had any doubts at all that she was misleading him about why she had cooled off on him, they melted away in that moment. He parted from her and made sure he looked straight into her eyes.

"I love you." He assured her with a smile. "You are the most amazing girl I know."

Mentor Ji watched from the corner, continuing to simply feign sleep, and smiled. He had let them sort this out for themselves, and it seemed they had. He was proud of them.

"So...um...if you don't mind me asking, who was it?" Mike asked her. Emily just looked at him a little unconvinced.

"I think there may be such a thing as too much honesty in a relationship." She told him. "It is kind of embarrassing."

"Not really, I mean we all know Jayden had an effect on Mia..." His words tailed off as she shook her head. "Well Kevin...wait...it isn't...?" He gestured to Mentor Ji.

"Kevin's a sweetheart, but no." Emily told him. "And Mentor Ji...just...ew, no!"

Mentor Ji had to stop himself from laughing hearing that. He doubted that Emily would think of him that way, but he knew that if she was aware he could hear her, she would have been somewhat more diplomatic in her assessment of his attractiveness.

"If you must know..." She sighed, reaching into a nearby drawer and pulling out the pencil sketch of Dekker. "It was him."

"Him?" Mike said, laughing. A reaction she completely didn't expect. "The guy that kidnapped you?"

"Stop laughing at me!" She whined, hitting his chest and pouting a little. "I told you I couldn't help it."

"Well, it certainly is an interesting crush." Mike teased her. "Perhaps I should tie you up once in a while."

"You better not." She told him. "My wrists still hurt."

"I'm sorry, I'm only joking." He assured her as he held her gently. "I may not have beaten him in the yard, but at least I beat him in the only way that counts."

"You sure did." Emily replied, huddling into him. "First round knockout every time."

Later that morning, after the Samurai had gone through their morning training, the ninjas returned to the Academy to pick up Sensei Watanabe and Cam. Although he was far from healed, Sensei Watanabe and Mentor Ji had agreed that having him in their home injured created a weakness that could be exploited should someone connected to Xandred get into their home. Shane and Dustin helped Cam from his bed to the driveway where Tori's van was waiting.

"I really wish we could have stayed longer." Sensei Watanabe told them. "I have a feeling our cross training was beneficial to both academies."

"Not to mention fun." Mike chipped in. "We're definitely going to have to go camping again."

"You don't seem so enthusiastic to go camping when I suggest it." Mentor Ji teased him.

"Well you don't serve pop tarts and microwave popcorn." Shane chipped in. He shook hands with Jayden. "Sorry we couldn't teach you more, you're all great, we'd love to do this again."

"We would too." Jayden assured him. "Sorry Cam got hurt."

"It's all part of the risk." Cam said, waving off the apology. "It's not like you guys won't have woken up in the morning feeling less than a hundred percent."

"Keep in touch." Sensei Watanabe stated. "You know we're always willing to help."

"And we're not the only ones." Tori chipped in with a wink. "There's a whole lot of people out there who know exactly what you're facing."

"Anyway, if we're going to miss the traffic, we should get going." Hunter told them as they helped Cam into the van. "We all know what Tori is like when her road rage kicks in."

"Road rage?" She asked him, scoffing a little. "You haven't seen rage yet mister!"

"Great idea Hunter, piss her off before we get moving." Dustin commented. "Way to keep the future sister-in-law sweet."

"Can I help it?" Hunter asked him as they loaded up the van, closing the door.

"No, you can't." Shane told him. "That's why I was the leader."

"Bye guys!" Tori called out from the window as they started to pull away. "Hope we see you again soon!"

"They were a great team." Jayden commented as they left the academy. "It's a shame they had to leave so soon."

"Perhaps in time we will have that opportunity." Mentor Ji told him. "In the meantime, I feel it would be best for us to concentrate on our own training."

"I guess that's for the best." Jayden stated. "We have a couple of hours before lunch. Mike, would you like some time with me?"

"Do I have a choice?" He asked.

"Not really." Jayden told him. "Get on the mat."

"Emily, you should come inside." Mentor Ji told her. "You still have classes to catch up on."

"Do I have to do that right now?" Emily asked. "It's such a lovely day..."

"I will let you know when you have done enough for today." Mentor Ji told her, gesturing inside. "Your swordsmanship can afford a day off, your education cannot. I promised your parents I would see to it your education would not suffer, and it is not a promise I took lightly."

"I guess I only have myself to blame." She sighed, looking to the others regretfully. "I'll see you for lunch."

"I guess that just leaves us." Mia said with a smile as she tapped Kevin in the chest. "What do you say you and I get a little one-on-one time?"

Kevin found it hard to answer that, instead just handing her a wooden sword and gesturing to the mat. He had a feeling that he wasn't going to be able to concentrate much on training today. Still, even if he was caught napping, he couldn't think of a better nursemaid than Mia. She was so caring and tender whenever she looked after the others when they were hurt or sick. She took her self-appointed position of big sister to the group very seriously. As he thought about the last time she had dressed some of his injuries and taken care of him, he smiled and he had a thought as he prepared his guard for the beginning of their training session. Perhaps training with her wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.

Fin.


End file.
